The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A shaped body can be produced quickly and economically by means of a generative manufacturing process, even when the shaping is very complex. This generative manufacture is also referred to as additive manufacture or as 3-D printing. By means of a generative manufacturing process, a shaped body can be produced in the form of a model, pattern, prototype, tool or end product, for example.
One specific generative manufacturing process is the powder bed process, in which generative manufacture of a shaped body takes place on the basis of a data model of the shaped body and using an industrial powder by means of a chemical and/or physical process. One specific powder bed process is selective laser sintering (SLS), in which a layer of a thermoplastic industrial powder is applied over the full surface of a vertically adjustable construction platform with the aid of a doctor or of a roll. The industrial powder used to form the layer can be made available by raising a powder platform or as a reservoir in a doctor. The industrial powder for the layer applied to the construction platform is selectively irradiated with a laser beam in accordance with a respective layer contour following from the data model of the shaped body. The energy which is supplied via the laser beam is absorbed by the industrial powder of the top layer and leads to local or selective sintering or fusion of particles of the industrial powder. The construction platform is then lowered slightly. After this, a new layer of industrial powder is applied over the full surface of the laser-treated first layer. Thus, the shaped body is manufactured layer by layer in a vertical direction. The correspondingly generatively manufactured shaped body is embedded in a bed of industrial powder situated on the construction platform.
One issue is that a shaped body conventionally has to be separated manually from the bed of industrial powder after the conclusion of the generative manufacture thereof. This conventionally takes place using suction means or cleaning brushes in an unenclosed environment, for example, and this often leads to contamination of the environment by spilled industrial powder and dust. Since most of the work is done by hand here, separating the shaped body from the industrial powder takes a lot of time and effort.
In order to automate the removal of an industrial powder from shaped bodies manufactured generatively using the industrial powder, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0266158 A1 proposes an apparatus of the type in question. However, it is also not possible with this apparatus to avoid the industrial powder getting into the environment of the apparatus and thereby contaminating the environment.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0052291 A1 also discloses an apparatus for removing an industrial powder from shaped bodies manufactured generatively using the industrial powder. The apparatus comprises a housing, which is formed by a partition wall and a cover having a door. Via the door, a container can be inserted into an opening in the partition wall. To remove the industrial powder from the shaped bodies, air nozzles arranged within the housing and a suction device arranged within the housing are switched on, while a base plate of the container is moved upward in stages in order to empty the container in stages.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0090410 A1 likewise discloses an apparatus for removing an industrial powder from a shaped body manufactured generatively using the industrial powder. For this purpose, a construction platform, on which the generatively manufactured shaped body embedded in a powder bed is situated, is lowered as far as a blower and suction unit after completion of generative manufacture. The industrial powder is removed from the shaped body by activation of the blower and suction unit.